The Squad

ALEX BHATHAL

Alexander S. Bhathal serves as Managing Partner and Founder of RAJ Capital, the asset management platform of the Bhathal Family, and co-owner and Executive Director of Sacramento Basketball Holdings LLC, which owns the Sacramento Kings franchise of the National Basketball Association (NBA), Golden 1 Center and is the developer of the Downtown Commons entertainment and sports district in Sacramento and other subsidiaries. Previously, Alex was named President of RAJ Swim in 2006 and led the largest private equity backed acquisition in the history of the swimwear industry. Alex and his sister, Lisa Merage, continued to operate the company until they both exited the business in 2015. He is a national board member of Gen Next, is a member of the California Coast chapter of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), and has been recognized as a New Leader within the Seminar Network. Alex earned his undergraduate degree from University of California Los Angeles, his Master's in Business Administration from the University of Southern California, and is a current participant in the Presidents Program at Harvard Business School.

LISA MERAGE

Lisa Bhathal Merage serves as Co-Founder and Managing Partner of RAJ Capital. The Newport Beach based firm is the alternative asset platform of the Bhathal Family Office. RAJ Capital was established after successfully selling the family’s 50-year old women’s swimwear business, RAJ Swim, to private equity. Lisa was Co-President of RAJ Swim from 2006-2016. Along with her family, Lisa is co-owner of Sacramento Basketball Holdings LLC. The firm owns the Sacramento Kings franchise of the National Basketball Association (NBA), Golden 1 Center, the Sawyer Hotel and residences, and is the developer of the Downtown Commons entertainment and sports district in Sacramento. With a philanthropic passion for both the arts and education, Lisa is on the Board of the Orange County Museum of Art as well as involved with Segerstrom Center as an Angel of the Arts. She currently serves as a Trustee for Sage Hill School, and served for 7 years as a Trustee at St. Mary’s IB World School. In 2015, she was awarded the “Altruist of the Year” Award from Modern Luxury magazine. Lisa is also a board member of Gen Next, a nonprofit aimed at education reform, economic growth, and national security. Lisa is a graduate of USC’s Marshall School of Business.

RYAN Parkin

Ryan L. Parkin is the founder and Managing Partner of Cress Capital. Prior to forming Cress, he was a Principal with Chase Merritt and a Vice President with Andrews Securities where he acted as a principal investor, placement agent and advisor to leading real estate investors, operators and developers. Prior to these activities, he held an acquisitions role with PCCP, a leading commercial real estate private equity fund manager and portfolio lender. While at PCCP, Ryan participated in the origination, analysis, capitalization and legal structuring of investments totaling $375 million. He led the asset management of twenty investments totaling $400 million in firm capital representing approximately $1.2 billion in total capitalization. Previously, Ryan worked in real estate private equity fundraising with Credit Suisse and in an acquisitions role with the private multifamily developer JPI. Ryan received a Bachelor of Science from Vanderbilt University cum laude with a double major in Economics and Human & Organizational Development. He has been associated with ULI, ICSC and NAIOP.

Tom Parnell

Thomas W. Parnell is a Partner with Cress Capital. Prior to joining in 2016, Tom was Vice President at Triangle Petroleum Corporation where he advised management on all matters related to the company’s real estate growth strategy, including managing acquisitions and developments in North Dakota and Texas. Prior to Triangle, Tom was a Vice President with the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC), Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, where he closed on real estate transactions totaling over $400 million of equity investment and oversaw an investment portfolio exceeding $2 billion. Earlier in his career, Tom worked at Industrial Growth Partners (IGP), a mid-market private equity firm, and was an analyst in the Mergers & Acquisitions Group at Thomas Weisel Partners. He received his MBA from the Wharton School with a major in real estate and his Bachelor of Science in Economics from the Wharton School with a concentration in finance.